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Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2017: Job Prospects

It’s all very well getting a degree, but you want to make sure you can actually do something with it once you graduate. Find out which university has been voted as having the best job prospects by the students who go there…

Whether you know what career you want to do, or are hoping you degree will help you figure out that decision, the right help from you university can not only open doors, but can help you knock on those doors in the first place.

So which university walked away with the award for best job prospects?...

Winner

Keeping a firm hold on their title from last year, Harper Adams University once again went home with the award for job prospects. Nominated in nine categories and taking home four awards, Harper clearly has some seriously happy and impressed students.

Although their win shouldn’t be a huge surprise given that their graduate employment rates are consistently above 96%, making them the joint second highest for UK university graduate rates. Their high employment rate is for many reasons, although the one that students regularly praised was the practicality of the courses and the compulsory placement years (most of which actually pay the students to be there), where they could put their newly learnt skills into a real working environment. Harper Adams alumni have gone onto work for prestigious employers including Jaguar Land Rover, Faccenda and John Deere.

Students also rated them highly for their regular careers fairs, the attention the university gave them to make them employable, the extra skills sessions as well as their helpful careers department.

Students say:

2nd Place

Also holding onto their previous position from last year, Loughborough University took home second place in this category. This is the third year where Loughborough have placed in the top three, so students are consistently feeling employable as a result of their time there.

One of the things that students particularly enjoyed about Loughborough is the fact that every course provides them with an optional year work placement, where they can use their new knowledge, network and add something to their CV.

Add in the university’s well rated University Careers Network which provides students with careers advice and arranges regular careers fairs, it’s no surprise that 94% of Loughborough students are in work or further study within 6 months of graduating.

Students say:

3rd Place

Jumping eight places from last year’s position, the Royal Agricultural University took home the bronze in this category as well as entering the top ten for the first time.

And it’s no surprise that they’ve done so well in our rankings this year, as their employability rates have been an average of 96% over the last 5 years. If this wasn’t enough, 80% of their alumni go onto to work as managers within 6 months of graduating.

Students rated the university highly for their careers service, which offered them CV advice, did interview prep and generally helped their job hunt a lot easier. There were also several mentions of the Student Job Portal, which regularly posts job opportunities that students could apply for.

This category had the largest increase in improvement over the last year, jumping from an average score of 3.60 to 3.88 this year. Interestingly it was students from West Midlands universities who had the highest degree of satisfaction in relation to this category, with the lowest score for students from Scottish universities.

Our Director of Insights, Aaron Porter says,

“As tuition fees have increased for most students, and increasing information has been made available about graduate outcomes and salaries, it has become a bigger factor in university decision making. Universities have been responding with greater support and prominence to the employability agenda, which is starting to come through with improved satisfaction scores.”